ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT ONE high Performance roofing SOLUTION AT A TIME. Maintenance & Inspection Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic: Page: I. Introduction 1 II. Maintenance Guide 2 III. What to Look for During Inspection 3-7 IV. Most Common Problems 8 V. Record of Inspection & Repairs 9 VI. Inspection Checklist 10-11 VII. Emergency Repairs 12-13 DERBIGUM Americas, Inc. Technical Services Department 4800 Blue Parkway Kansas City, MO 64130 Phone: (800) 727-9872 / (816) 921-0221 Fax: (816) 924-1542 info@derbigum.com www.derbigum.com
INTRODUCTION DERBIGUM is providing this Maintenance and Inspection Manual in an effort to aid owners in the initiation of a maintenance program. The leading cause of premature roof system failure is often related to the lack of such a program. Periodic inspections and recommended maintenance will maximize the longterm performance of your investment. Rooftop equipment maintenance and repair will also contribute to the longevity of your new Derbigum roof system. Maintenance and repair of both the roof system and rooftop equipment should always be performed by qualified personnel. Be sure to contact your local DERBIGUM Authorized Contractor (DAC) for all permanent Derbigum repairs and any questions regarding penetrations and rooftop equipment integration. This manual guides you through the observation and recognition of problems and potential problems, assisting you in maintaining ORDER with your maintenance program. Observe and inspect your Derbigum roof often Recognize problems or potential problems Determine the cause of the problem Execute a plan of action Remedy with maintenance or repair DERBIGUM has found the National Roofing Contractor Association (NRCA) and the other roofing industry organizations listed below to be excellent resources for additional information. The NRCA has over 100 years of experience in the roofing industry. The following associations provide a wide range of information and services to help building owners and facility managers make informed decisions about replacing and maintaining their roof systems. National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) 10255 W. Higgins Road, Suite 600 Rosemont, IL 60018-5607 800-323-9545 www.nrca.net Roof Consultants Institute, Inc. (RCI) 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 204 Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 800-828-1902 www.rci-online.org Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) Public Information Department 1156-15th Street, NW., Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005 202-207-0917 www.asphaltroofing.org 1
OWNER MAINTENANCE GUIDE DERBIGUM welcomes you to its growing family of Modified Bitumen Roof System owners. You can expect many years of service from your DERBIGUM roof, if the following recommendations are implemented: 1. At least twice a year, have the roof inspected by either your own maintenance people, a professional roofing consultant, or the DERBIGUM Authorized Contractor (DAC) who installed the system. At this time, debris must be removed from the roof, especially around drains, scuppers, and gutters. Ponding water on a roof surface may be the most significant factor in shortening the system s life. Standing water places a live load on the building s structural integrity, and it also provides water for vegetation growth, and temperature differentials, which lead to system damage during freeze-thaw cycles. Positive drainage and routine maintenance will minimize these potential problems. 2. If your DERBIGUM system is surfaced with a field applied roof coating it will be necessary to periodically recoat the DERBIGUM membrane. 3. If new roof mounted equipment is to be added, DERBIGUM must be notified in advance of the modification or this guaranty shall be voided. Please include a written description along with a detailed drawing. Cutting through the DERBIGUM roof to add equipment or piping must be coordinated or performed by an approved DAC. Flashing the new unit must be done with DERBIGUM material, per DERBIGUM published specifications. 4. Repairs performed or materials furnished by others must be authorized, in writing, by DERBIGUM, in advance or this guaranty shall be voided. 5. Never let other building trades onto your roof without cautioning them to treat the roof with care. This includes refraining from throwing or dropping tools onto the DERBIGUM system, or dragging sharp equipment across the roof. Care needs to be taken not to spill solvents or gasoline onto the roof. 6. If your roof contains pitch pans, all pitch pans must have the bottom two-thirds filled with a non-shrink grout and then the top portion topped off and crowned with PERFLASH Modified Bitumen Based Cement or approved pourable sealer. Turn down the upper lip of the pitch pan to provide a better seal for the bitumen. DERBIGUM requires the addition of an umbrella rain cap where possible. DERBIGUM does not guaranty the performance of pitch pans as they are a maintenance item. 7. If your building is subject to significant roof traffic, DERBIGUM recommends the installation of walk treads. Consult DERBIGUM Technical Services for approved recommendations. 8. Do not fasten guide wires to your DERBIGUM membrane, instead anchor these devices on masonry or check with an approved DAC for recommendations. 9. Your DAC, or professional roofing consultant wants to serve you, but please do not call until you are reasonably sure the roof is the cause of a leak. Many costly inspections are made by your DAC, only to find the leak is caused by something other than the DERBIGUM system. To insure better service, please perform as thorough an investigation as possible before you call your DAC. 2
What To Look For During Your Roof Inspection Gutters: Gutters may be the cause of roof leaks. When inspecting your roof, clean debris from the gutters to ensure that water will flow down the gutters and off the roof into the down spouts. When debris collects in the gutters, water flow is restricted, causing the gutters to fill to the top and flow over the outside and back up into the roof system. When water backs up into the roof system problems can appear in different forms. The moisture may migrate between the membrane plies causing blisters on the roof, or leaks directly into the building. Signs of full gutters: Water draining off roof behind gutters and down the outside wall. Downspouts: During your Fall roof inspection, after the leaves have fallen is the best time to inspect gutters and downspouts. Ponding Water: Check for improper drainage from the roof. Vegetation can grow if ponded water remains for long periods at a time. 3
Cap Flashings: Cap flashings are metal or other rigid covers at membrane terminations, such as counterflashings, expansion joint covers and coping caps. When inspecting your roof s terminations look for: Loose or missing fasteners, missing or loose joint covers, corrosion of metal components or cracking and aging sealants which can collect and direct water through an end joint. Brick Coping Cap with aged and cracked sealant. Termination Bar with fastener pull out. Rusty Edge Metal deteriorating, allowing moisture to migrate into roof system. Cracked concrete coping cap, allowing water to infiltrate the painted brick wall. 4 Skylight with membrane pulled away from counterflashing. Membrane and counterflashing pulled away from brick wall.
Penetrations: Penetrations are pipes, drains, screen wall supports, electrical conduits, duct work and curbs. The improper addition of these roof penetrations after the original installation of the roof system can cause serious damage to the roof system or interior damage. Tenant-finish of the interior building space is a common source of improper additions. When additional penetrations are to be installed after the completion of the roof system, only approved roofing contractors are authorized to cut and seal the existing roofing system. These penetrations must be flashed properly using a DERBIGUM approved products, i.e. DerbiFlash or derbigum standard flashing materials. When inspecting your roof s penetrations make sure that the drain clamping ring is properly secured to ensure a watertight seal and the drain dome is secured to the drain clamping ring bowl. Pitch pans need to be filled with a sufficient quantity of PERFLASH, approved pourable sealer, or if the pitch pan has an umbrella cap, it must have a tight seal at the top of the clamping ring with caulk. Check that the DERBIGUM membrane is adhered at the penetration flanges. New wall penetrations have been added to these completed roof systems without the proper flashing details. Water will migrate into the walls and leak into the building. The pitch pan grout has pulled away from the metal pan, it is time to fill the pan with PERFLASH or a pourable sealer. This pipe thru the roof has been installed improperly and the building movement is pulling on the pipe, leaving a void at the roof penetration. 5 Proper reflashing with DERBIFLASH liquid flashing membrane will provide a long term seal to these penetrations.
Roof Top Equipment: Roof top equipment may be the most commonly overlooked and potentially problematic maintenance item. Equipment that is in disrepair has the potential to cause damage to the roof membrane. This unit s door has come off its hinges. Duct work problems such as missing bracing members, or connector bolts and fasteners will allow water seepage into the ducts and migration into the building. These conditions are often incorrectly attributed to a roof leak. Coated Roofs: The life span of roof coatings is from 3 to 5 years. This owner maintenance item is the easiest to detect. When inspecting your roof, look for cracks and wear on the coating. Areas that have pulled away from the sheet metal counter flashing may be caused from building movement or inadequately fastened metal flashing. Coated roof pulled away from edge. Cracked coated roof. Worn coated roof surface. Field Membrane: When inspecting the field of the roof look for damage caused by: flying or rolling debris across the roof which causes damage to the membrane. Metal panels from roof top equipment placed on the field of the roof during inspection or repair can cause holes and gouges in the membrane. Improper roof repair. 6 Gouges in a roof membrane.
Field Membrane: (continued) During your semi-annual inspections look for the following: splits, open laps, deteriorated membrane or surface coatings, adequate drainage, worn spots or holes in the membrane, fasteners backing out against the membrane, non-adhered areas, excessive wrinkles, blisters and ridges. When cleaning the field membrane, do not use a power washer on DERBICOLOR granulated roof surfaces. Open lap at target patch at Vent Thru Roof. Open lap at Roof Top Unit curb. Loose membrane at roof edge. Open lap. Open lap at ridge. 7
MOST COMMON PROBLEMS 1. New Roof Penetrations 2. Holes & Punctures 3. Clogged Drains 4. Gutters, Downspouts & Scuppers 5. Open Laps 6. Loose Flashings 7. Loose Metal Counter-Flashings 8. Skylights, Smoke Hatches & Roof Hatches 9. Pitch Pans & Covers 10. Surface Contamination 11. Deteriorating Masonry Walls 12. Fastener Back-out 13. Sealant Joints (Old & Aged Caulking) 14. Soil Vents 15. Inside/Outside Corners 8
The following Chart is for your semi annual inspections. 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year 6th Year 7th Year 8th Year 9th Year 10th Year 11th Year 12th Year 13th Year 14th Year 15th Year 16th Year 17th Year 18th Year 19th Year 20th Year Date Inspector Repairs Required Repair date Roofing Contractor 9
Inspection Check List G = Good, No Action F = Fair, Monitor Periodically P = Poor, Immediate Action Roof Top Units Access Panels Attached to Unit Condensation Pans Clear Liquid Discharge Proper Corner Flashing Properly Flashed to Roof G F P Area of Roof Action Taken Penetrations Pitch Pockets Filled Loose Flashing Drawbands on Umbrellas Tight Corrosion on Pipes Membrane Flashing Seam Attached to the field Punctures Fully Adhered Open Top Seal Sheet Metal Flashing Loose or Missing Fasteners Loose or Missing Metal Cracked Sealant Corrosion Gutters & Downspouts Clean Debris from Gutters Clean Debris from Downspouts Gutters Properly Attached 10
G = Good, No Action F = Fair, Monitor Periodically P = Poor, Immediate Action Field of the Roof Ponded Water or Water Stains Debris Vegetation Growth Surface Coating: Cracked Membrane Cracking Membrane Punctured Membrane Unadhered Fasteners Backing Out Surface Contamination G F P Area of Roof Action Taken Walkways Unadhered Areas Deteriorated Areas Needed in Heavy Traffic Areas Laps Open Joints Fishmouths T-Laps Drains Strainers in Place Clamping Rings Tightened Clear of Debris Gravel Stops Joint Conditions Rust/Deterioration Strip-In Membrane 11
EMERGENCY REPAIRS Severe Weather Emergency repairs may be required after severe weather. In the event a DERBIGUM Authorized Contractor (DAC) is not readily available, and to minimize damage to the interior of the building and its contents, the building owner may elect to perform emergency repairs. In many cases, it may be extremely difficult to locate the source of a leak into the building. If the source cannot be located, the building owner may have no recourse except to control the spread of water until a DAC can be contacted and appropriate repairs completed. These repairs should be considered temporary. A DAC should be contacted to follow-up with permanent repairs. Check roof drains and scuppers to be certain that they are functional and clear of debris. Caution should be exercised when clearing debris from drains. Draining water, can create significant suction forces which can suck tools, hands or arms quickly into the drain. It is generally not advisable to attempt repairs until after a storm because of the danger of high winds and the possibility of a lightning strike. Work should not be performed during high winds or electrical storms. In some instances, however, emergency repairs during a storm may prevent or minimize further wind damage. If loose metal edge flashing is observed, securing it during a storm may prevent subsequent lifting, peeling and even blow-off of the membrane. 12
Split Membrane The membrane surface must be cleaned and dried, then PERMASTIC or PERFLASH applied with a matching membrane (DERBIGUM or DERBICOLOR or DERBIBRITE) patch installed to the area. If these products are not available a polyurethane sealant will work until permanent repairs are performed by a DAC. Leaks at Drains or Pitch Pans Debris must be cleared away from drain area. The clamping ring must be checked and tightened down. Loose flashing laps must be repaired and PERFLASH applied at drain leads. Pitch pans need to be filled with PERFLASH, insuring that the pipe penetration is completely surrounded. If there is an umbrella installed above the pan, the clamping ring must be secured and the top edge of the umbrella caulked with a polyurethane sealant. The area should be checked for loose flashing laps and repaired with PERMASTIC or PERFLASH and like membrane (DERBIGUM or DERBICOLOR or DERBIBRITE). Leaks at Metal Flashings Loose or missing fasteners must be tightened or replaced. Caulking at the metal cap flashing may crack with age, requiring the joints to be caulked with a polyurethane caulking. Building movement can cause the metal cap flashing to buckle creating open edges which can allow water to be funneled into a membrane end joint from where it migrates into the building. Look for exposed membrane end joints where this could occur. This picture depicts a control joint where the metal counter flashing was not fastened, and later blew off during high winds. 13
4800 Blue Parkway Kansas City, MO 64130 Phone: 800.727.9872 / Fax: 816.924.1542 E-mail: info@derbigum.com - www.derbigum.com Pub Date 5/2010